Marion n



(No Model.)

M. N. GEORGE. GAR GOUPLING.

No.458,896. Patented Sept, 1', 1891.-

Il I i FFjZ- C? UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARION N. GEORGE, OF BIRMINGHAM,ALABAMA, ASSIGN OR TO THE GEORGE OAR OOUPLER COMPANY.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 458,896, dated September 1, 1891.

Serial No. 384,101` (No model.)

T all whom it' may concern.-

Be it known that l, MARION N. GEORGE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Birmingham, in the county of Jefferson and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oar-Oouplings; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionY of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to link-and-pin couplings; and it has for its object to provide a safe method of automatically centering the link and dropping the pin and a sure method of coupling when one car is higher than the other or when the coupling is done on a curve Y in the track.

Reference is had to the accompanying drawings, where in all the figures the same parts are indicated by the same letters.

Figure l represents a perspective View of a portion of a freightbar body provided with myimproved coupler. Fig. 2 represents a longitudinal vertical section of two of my coup- 1ers coming together. Fig. 3 represents a perspective view of my link-centering and pindropping device.

A represents the car-body. y

B is the draw-bar secured to the car in the usual way. This draw-bar has cylindrical cavities o and h2 and a rectangular cavity h3 in the outer end or drawhead.

h5 and h6 are the pin-holes. 1

The upper lip of the drawhead is slotted at bs to receivethe plate c5, while the lower lip h? is rounded, as shown.

b4 is a stud set in the draw-head from one side thereof.

C represents my link-centering and pindropping device. It consists of a spring-plunger c', pushed out by the spring D, a rear wall c3, and two horizontal walls c2 and c4. The upper wall c? has a hole o8 for the link-pin and carries a small buffer c5. The lower wall et has hinged thereto at c" the slotted plate c6. This plate has edges c7, Haring upward somewhat in order to center the link. The stud h* engages the wall c3, and so prevents the device C from being forced outtoo far by the spring D.

E is the coupling-pin, which should be provided with suitable guides for keeping it vertical when it is up. The pin is lifted by the chain F and the arm g on the lifting-bar G. H H are the handles to the said-bar.

Any of the ordinary forms of lifting' device for gravity-pins would answer the purpose of the lifting device herein shown.

The operation of my device is as shown in Fig. 2, where the two couplers are represented as about to come together for coupling. The right-hand draw-head will first strike the protruding buffer c5 and will force it in against the spring D. At the same time, the hinge ci being forced backward, the inclined face bT will throw the plate c6 under the link L, which will be centered by the central slot in c6 and by the points o7,tlaring upward. Just before the rear face of the Wall c3 strikes the rear face of the rectangular chamber b3 the two draw-heads will come together and the bufting strain will be taken up by the usual springs in the rear of thedraw-bars, (not shown,) while at the same time the hole cs will be pushed under the hole b5 and pin E, and the said pin will fall through the holes b5, o8, andh6 and the slot in c will engage the link L.

It will be evident from Fig. 2 that if the right-hand coupler is higher than the left, due to inequality in the height of the cars or to any other causes, the link, naturally inclined downward, will enter the lower drawhead direct; but if the right-hand draw-head be lower than the left then the upper face of the said right-hand draw-head will strike the lower part of the buffer c5, forcing it in. This will immediately raise the link L upon the plate c and guide the said link into the opposite draw-head. The buffer c5 is made with considerable height, in order to strike drawheads of varying height from the track.. Moreover, by making the mouth of the draw-head and the guide-plate c5 wide in proportion t0 the depth of the said aperture cars may be coupled together on sharp curves. This is specially ilnportant in coupling on freightcars standing on switches orin freight-yards. It will also be readily seen that by placing a spiral spring immediately in rear of the wall c3 the plunger c and cavity b may be dispensed with. Moreover, there are many possible modilications which would readily sug- IOO gest themselves to a skilled mechanic, which could be used Without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-` l. In a linl-andpin car-coupling, the combination, with the hollow draw-head A, having chambers b', b2, and b3,li1g b4, and inclined lip 67, of the spring D and the device C, having plunger c', walls c2, c3, and c4, hole e8, buffer c5, and slotted guide-plate c, hinged to the lower arm of said device, substantially as described.

2. In a link-and-pin car-coupling, the combination, with a lifting device attached to the car, of the hollow draw-head B, having pinholes b5 and h6, chambers h', b2, and b3, stop b4,

inclined lip bi, and slot 198, the spring D, and the device C, sliding in the said draw-head and having the guide-rod or plunger c', engaging in the chamber h', the rectangular walls c2, c3, and c4, engaging in the chamber 193, the Wall c3, bringing up against the stop b4, the buffer c5, attached to the upper arm of said device and engaging the opposite draw-head, and the guide-plate c, hinged to the lower arm of said device and engaging the inclined lip b? and link L, all substantially as described. In testimony whereof I aix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MARION N. GEORGE. Vitnesses:

W. H. MoTHERsHED, VAN L. THOMPSON. 

